Bully
by Hollyquin
Summary: Two men are dead thanks to their eternal rivalry. But where did it all begin? Rewind to elementary school, where their hatred blossoms on the playground...
1. Trouble

[[Mello: Aren't you already writing something? Shouldn't you be doing the second chapter for that?  
Holly: First of all, Matt is my muse for that story, not you. Second of all, why can't I do two stories at once?

Mello: I'm surprised you're doing _anything_.

Holly: Go away, Mello.

Mello: You're mean.

Holly: Anyway. Basically, when I played 2-4, this was what I was thinking THE WHOLE TIME. So naturally, it must be committed to fanfic. Have fun.]]

* * *

[Juan's POV]

I chew on my pencil like my life depends on it. The piece of paper in front of me is going to determine the rest of my life. At least, that's how it feels when you're taking a test in the fourth grade. That's how the teacher makes you feel, anyway. I sit in the front row, looking up and down, back and forth between my paper and the board in front of me, as though that will help. It definitely doesn't help that my worst enemy is sitting exactly five seats behind me.

Suddenly, a paper plane flew over my shoulder. I'm unsurprised when it smacks my teacher in the back of the neck. This has happened oh so many times before. She wheeled around.

"Okay, _who did that? _Was it you, Juan? It came from this direction."

I froze up, like I always do.

"Uh...no, Mr. Ress, it wasn't me."

"It was _him_, Mr. Ress."

A girl at the back of my class whose name I don't know points to the boy who I'm absolutely sure is responsible- my eternal tormentor. His puppy dog eyes don't fool me for a second, even as he speaks.

"It wasn't me, mister teacher dude. It was totally Juan."

I knew exactly what was about to happen. It happens _all the time_.

"Well, in _that_ case, you can both go to the principal. Go on, get out, both of you."

I stood up, looking at the floor. I knew I couldn't talk my way out of this. I knew that he probably could, but he was unlikely to bother. He wasn't going to give up the chance to humiliate me, again. I walked to the door, hearing his footsteps behind me.

"Did you even finish the test?"

I looked up at him, my face probably betraying what I don't want to say. I didn't even _start_.

"Pathetic. I finished it. I probably aced it. Sucks for you, dude."

That was typical. The two of us were in an eternal competition. Nobody wants to lose to someone who thinks they're better than everyone else. The problem with this kid was, he _was_ better than everyone else. Plus, he was absurdly good at hiding his psychopathic tendencies, which I found so very, very obvious. He was popular, he got incredibly good grades, the girls adored him.

He was also a major bully. But it seemed, only to me.

Not that I was unpopular, or a loser, or any of that. I got mostly As too. I was popular enough. But it seemed I was doomed to come in second to the irritating boy with the slicked back hair and the easy smile.

We walked to the principal's office in silence. I was nervous and my slow shuffle down the hall showed it. He didn't walk so much as he loped, his thumbs in his pockets, the collar on that ridiculous jacket he always loved sticking up obnoxiously. Obnoxious was the best word to describe him, I thought.

The principal was waiting outside. Mr. Ress, it seemed, had called him as we were walking. His face was bright red. He was _always_ angry, or so it seemed to me. I mean, it was just a paper airplane. Did it really matter all that much?

"Hey, mister principal dude. I don't know why Mr. Ress even sent me here. It wasn't me."

He had a way of lightening the mood, that was for sure. And somehow, it always worked, even on our perpetually-angry principal. His face lightened several shades as he considered the two of us, looking back and forth. I didn't like where this was going.

"Uh, it wasn't me, either. I don't know whether it was him-" I looked at my opponent, the smug look on his face making me ill- "but I know it wasn't me."

The principal sighed. He seemed oddly drained, which was fair enough, seeing as this was happening all the time. Every single time this kid did anything wrong, he blamed me, and we both ended up in the principal's office. Admittedly, I did the same to him, but hey, turnabout's fair play.

"Well, boys...normally I'd let you both off the hook, but this has been happening so often, lately, that...I have no choice but to give you both detention."

The innocent expression on my enemy's face changed for the first time, switching to an expression of shock. I was surprised enough, myself. We didn't usually get in trouble. Certainly not both of us at the same time, anyway. His expression switched back pretty quickly, though.

"Hold on a sec. I'm gonna call my mom, OK?"

He started punching in numbers on his favorite accessory, the cell phone that he wore on his wrist. The principal was suitably surprised.

"Why are you calling-"

"I have a doctor's appointment after school, mister principal dude. She'll tell you I can't have detention today."

He held his wrist up to the principal's ear. Presumably his mother had picked up, as lots of "mhm"s and "uh-huh"s and "okay"s came forth from the principal. Sometimes I just didn't know how he did it. This time _had_ to be luck, since he couldn't have known he was getting detention, and if his mom was talking to the principal, it had to be valid. Right?

Soon enough, the principal was off the phone, seemingly appeased.

"Okay, well then. You'll have to serve your sentence on another day-"

('Serve your sentence?' Who _says_ that?)

"-but you, Juan, have detention today right after school. I will see you then. Now, both of you, get back to class. Go on, get."

With no real choice, I turned around. My walking had turned from a nervous shuffle to a depressed one. My rival still loped, but now the smug look on his face had returned.

"Have fun in detention, dude. I'll be with Estella."

Now he was just being cruel. Estella was the most popular girl in our school, and everyone thought those two would be perfect together. But Estella was _mine_. He knew that, as was evidenced by the evil grin that formed on his face as he looked at me. But then, we were at class, and the grin disappeared as though it was never there at all.

"Nice of you to join us, boys."

We took our seats. I took solace in the fact that the class was almost over. I took considerably less solace in the fact that our tests had already been collected. I turned around, and my enemy waved, grinning, his feet up on his desk like he was such a big shot. I growled under my breath.

The last five minutes of school passed without incident. As the bell rang, I stood up, quickly, before remembering that I wasn't going anywhere. I sighed, slowly piling my books back into my bag. He passed by me, his wrist to his ear again-"Yo, mom, dude, pick me up?"-and he took a moment to grin at me before hanging up and walking over to Estella and Hunter (the other most popular girl in school...basically Estella's lackey). They giggled the way girls do. I wanted so badly to run over, say hi, take Estella away from that scumbag. As it were, she looked at me almost apologetically before leaving with him.

I packed my things slowly. I didn't want to run into them in the hall. Somehow, he had gotten away, and I was stuck here with detention. This was the story of my life so far. I was going to get my revenge. Somehow, some way.

_Matt Engarde....You will pay for this._

* * *

Holly: Read and review, or I'll set Mello on fire. Again.

Mello: Why are you always threatening us? ._.

Holly: Because it works.

Mello: You're so cruel.


	2. Devil

[[Mello: *OMNOMNOMNOMNOM*

Holly: *steals chocolate* I'm back! ^_^

Mello: …*pulls out pistol*

Holly: …yeahsohavefunasalways! *runs away very very fast*

Mello: GIVE ME MY CHOCOLATE!]]

* * *

--Juan's POV—

_So bored…can't…focus…_

My eyes were glued to the clock, its second hand ticking once every ten seconds or so, by my approximation. Our principal sat at his desk, scribbling away at something likely unimportant. Two other kids were there with me, delinquents whose names I'd never bothered to learn. They threw paper at each other, drew, wore their fingers out on their Game Boys, safely hidden under their desks. I just stared at the clock, lost in thought.

I'd find a way to get back at that Matt Engarde. I'd just have to think about it a little bit more.

"Ah, boys, it's five o'clock. I hope you've had enough time to think about what you've done wrong. You may go home now."

All three of us looked up at the principal, startled, when he spoke. Even I, who had been watching the clock all along, had failed to notice that it was time to leave. They high-fived each other- clearly detention regulars, those two- and left. I followed suit.

"Hey, dude. Have much fun in jail?"

_Oh, come on. That's not even fair…_

Matt was standing there, in all his evil, evil glory, grinning his uniquely Matt grin. Standing there with him, looking more nervous than anything else, was Estella, all messy black hair, green eyes, and nervous smile. Hunter stood beside them, though separated from them as though by an invisible barrier, fiddling with her reading glasses with one hand and her hair with the other. She kept looking back and forth between Matt and I, as though waiting for a punch to be thrown.

"Didn't I hear you calling your mother for a pick-up?"

"Yeah, I called mom. She's working until six though, so I've been hanging around. Dude, are you _worried_ about me or something?

He laughed, never taking his eyes off of me. He may have seemed mirthful to anyone else, but I could see the devil in his eyes. Brrr.

"You wish, Matt. I was just wondering why I had to see your face again."

"Oh, yeah, I'm _so_ insulted, dude. Come on, Estella, Hunter, let's dip."

He turned to leave, as did Hunter, who seemed almost relieved that she hadn't been witness to a fight. Estella hesitated, and Hunter, who seemed to realize that the object of her worship had not started walking, stopped dead. Matt just kept going. I was equal parts relieved and unsurprised.

"Juan…I'm sorry about him. He's not that bad a guy, really, just-"

"Misunderstood. I know what you think of him, Estella. And I still think you're wrong."

"Oh, _Juan…_"

I reached out to her, to give her a hug, to hold her hand. She was mine, after all. But for some reason she seemed hesitant, lost. She pulled away, backed away, looking into my eyes, almost teary. I walked towards her, matching her pace.

"What's wrong, Estella?"

"Nothing…nothing, Juan. Nothing at all. I just…have to go home, now. That's all."

"Okay. Do I get a hug, at least?"

She flounced up to me- flounced seems to be the best word for the joyful bounce that had suddenly reappeared in her step- and gave me a quick hug before retreating with a wave and a smile. Hunter, looking flustered, waved at me and took off after Estella, who had gone down the hallway, away from me, towards him.

I stood my ground until she had disappeared from sight completely.

I wish I could follow her.

But no, I'm better off not confronting Matt now, not with Estella on his side. I'd wait. I had time. I still need to think of a way to get my revenge. Even after two hours of thinking in detention, I had nothing. Nothing at all. When you're up against the devil, you've got to get creative.

I left. I went home. I did my homework- it took much longer than it needed to, as I'd occasionally space out and forget what I was doing, lost in daydreams. I ate dinner, I practiced guitar. I did everything I was supposed to do, but I was still thinking. It wasn't just about getting even with Matt. It was about Estella- why she was siding with him, why she refused to see what a jerk he was, why she seemed convinced that he actually had a heart when he so obviously- to me, anyway- didn't. At all.

_I'll ask her myself in the morning._

I slipped into bed, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow I'd probably get my test back, with a big fat "0" in red on the front. Matt would wave his "100" at me and grin that devil's grin. Estella would tell me he wasn't trying to make me feel bad, really, he was just happy he'd done so well, and didn't know how to show it properly, and blah blah blah.

Like I'd believe that crap.

I tossed and turned in not-even-close-to-sleep, trying to distract my mind, to think about nothing, to count sheep. I failed spectacularly, particularly because I kept looking at the clock, watching the hours go by.

12 AM…1 AM…2 AM…

It all fades, after that.

* * *

_He looked in the mirror. All dressed up, all grown up, he smiles at himself, admiring his costume, the one he had designed himself when he was a kid. He's handsome, strong. He adored the limelight, even though he was due to do something less-than-savory in not very long. He bent down to his guitar case, which contained another costume, one not designed by him at all, one he'd prefer to never have worn. He shook his head, closing it, clicking the lock shut. He heard a knock at the door._

"_Yes?"_

"_It's the bellboy, sir. With your tomato juice?"_

_"Ah, yes. Come in, come in…"_

_He came in. The bellboy was an odd fellow, with one streak of white through his otherwise dark hair, a monocle, and, most notably, stitches going right down his face. He wore black leather gloves- those stuck out, as they looked quite _wrong_ on a bellboy. He held a tray on the tips of the fingers of his right hand, quite dignified considering that the only thing on the tray was a bottle of tomato juice._

"_Thank you. I'm sorry, I'm sort of getting ready, here…I'll get you a tip a little later, okay?"_

_"Of course, sir."_

_He returned to his mirror, fixing his hair, admiring himself. But the bellboy didn't leave. He didn't see him move at all, in fact, though he was focusing so much on the man in the mirror that he wasn't paying much attention._

"_Hey, bel-"_

_That's when he felt the tension around his neck._

_Suffocation. His own bandana, wrapped around his neck like a noose, tightening, strangling him. He lost his breath, he lost his grip. He fought valiantly, attempting to kick away his attacker, but his movements were jerky, easily avoided, and weak. His vision had spots, and as the darkness closed over him, the last thing he saw was not the man in the mirror._

_It was another man, hair slicked back, scars covering his once perfect face._

_He grinned a devil's grin._

_

* * *

  
_

I woke up, clutching my neck.

Thankfully, my favorite bandana sat harmlessly on my dresser. I crossed my arms, holding my shoulders, holding myself together. I didn't remember much of the dream I'd had the night before. All I remembered was _his_ face, staring out of the darkness, looking ready to kill. I looked at my clock.

_Crap! I overslept!_

I got dressed, leaving my trademark bandana off. Just looking at it made me nauseous. I waved a quick goodbye to my mother, foregoing breakfast entirely, so that maybe, just maybe, I'd have a chance of making it to school on time. Due to some sort of supernatural good luck my school bus was late, and was just pulling in by the time I got outside.

Later I'd wish I missed the bus. I wish I could've told myself that at the time.

Normally I sleep on the bus to school, but, fearing more nightmares, I kept myself awake by drawing. Little comic strips of a ninja- a ninja with a bright red guitar- decorated every spare bit of my notebook, and I was only adding to it. When we pulled into school, it wasn't until the bus driver came to the back to make sure everyone was off that I even noticed we had stopped.

I hopped off the last step of the school bus, now in good spirits.

I immediately wished I hadn't.

There was Matt, same skinny jeans, same racer jacket, same slicked back hair, same smirk. There was Estella, same unbrushed black hair, same green eyes lowered to the ground, same red blouse, same quiet, almost melancholic demeanor.

They were holding hands.

* * *

Holly: R&R while I continue to eat Mello's chocolate! :D

Mello: THIS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL.


	3. Fight

[[Holly: I finished Mello's chocolate. :3

Mello: T_T

Holly: Anyway! This'll be the last real chapter. I'm gonna finish it up with an epilogue at some later date, but it might be a while. So enjoy! :3

L: That face is odd.

Near: How can anyone actually look like that?

Matt: I look like that when I have a cigarette. :3

Mello: That doesn't even make sense.

Matt: I know. I still love you! :D

Holly: OKAY, STORY.]]

* * *

--Juan's POV--

I was silent.

Matt didn't seem to notice me, not that that was much of surprise. His hand enveloped Estella's, small as hers was, as he made casual conversation with some other kids. Estella's eyes never even left the ground. My fists clenched, then relaxed, then clenched again, without me even noticing.

"Hey, kid! Get out of the way! People are trying to move here!"

That was the bus driver- I had forgotten myself and remained standing in front of the bus door, blocking the other kids from leaving. The kids behind me laughed, presumably at me having been scolded. I failed to see the humor. I stepped forward and let them leave.

Unfortunately for me, and I only remembered this now, I took the bus with Hunter. So naturally, as she walked out, she called out towards the pair who I was trying so steadfastly to ignore.

"Matt! Estella! Hey!"

She waved, cheerfully subservient to them as she always seemed to be. I looked down, trying to blend in with the crowd of kids piling out of the bus, talking, laughing, throwing paper airplanes at each other, completely unaware of my personal emotional crisis. That worked about as well as I thought it would. Matt always seemed to have a sixth sense for me, after all. Whenever the last thing I wanted to see was his face, that was when it always seemed to appear.

"Hey, Hunter. Oh, what's this we have here? Dude, what's wrong? You look all upset."

I forced myself to look up. He was standing there, of course, glorious in his popularity. I was more interested in the girl beside him, but Estella was obviously ignoring me.

"Hello, dude? I'm talking to you. Me. Not her."

I wrenched my gaze away from her and back to him. He was grinning even as he released Estella's hand. She seemed to take that as permission to move away, and she did so, though still remaining fairly close to him. Hunter walked over to her, and they spoke in hushed tones; I couldn't make out anything they were saying.

"So, dude, what happened to you? You get your heart broken or something?"

He was laughing, then. Though Estella and Hunter were still talking, everything seemed dead silent to me, with the sole exception of my heartbeat, and his voice.

"Didn't she tell you, dude? Oh, but you thought she liked you? Why would she like you when she could have me? _Look _at me. I'm perfect."

He raised his arms with a sick smile. I couldn't decide from his face whether he was showing off or challenging me. The latter possibility was proven wrong when he lowered his arms as though nothing had happened. He rolled his eyes dramatically at what I imagined was the look on my face.

"Look, no use looking like a puppy someone kicked."

_A puppy _you_ kicked_, I thought.

"Nothing left for you to do, dude. It's almost time for class, anyway. Get over it."

He grinned and turned around, grabbing one of Estella's tiny hands as he did so.

"Come on, Stella. Let's leave the trash to the trash."

She looked at me for the first time, wide-eyed. I just looked back at her. Cold. Dead. I had nothing to say to her, really. What was there? Hunter looked almost apologetic as she trotted behind them. I just watched. My worst enemy had made off with my girlfriend. How typical was that? Only the story of my life. Matt was always beating me, Matt was always winning. Now he'd gotten Estella, too. I knew she thought he wasn't so bad, thought that he would change, thought he was good, deep down, but I'd believed her when she said she'd loved me. Apparently, I was wrong. And now I was just letting him walk away with her. Just letting him get away with being evil. Like I always did.

Wait.

Why was I standing here?

They were only ten paces ahead of me. I had to take my chance.

I would not lose again.

I couldn't.

Not to him.

"I'll fight you."

My words were relatively quiet- not the shout of a macho guy, bellowing a challenge- but they were just loud enough that Matt heard. He stopped mid-stride, his hand letting go of Estella's almost unconsciously, it seemed. He turned around, slowly, dramatically, and time seemed to slow with him.

"...What did you say?"

"I said, I'll fight you. For Estella. After school."

He started laughing. His laugh- and anyone could tell, not just someone who knew him like I did- was purely maniacal, evil, devilish, everything that Matt hid about himself. It all came out in a burst of laughter.

"Oh, that's rich. You really think you can get her back just by _fighting_ me? Since when did you fight, anyway? Look at you, dude. I'd kick your ass in a second."

I bit my cheek from the inside.

"I'd get her back because then she'd know that I'm the best. Not you. And then she'd know what you are."

Estella looked up at me, pleading with her eyes. I ignored her.

"Whatever you want, dude. Hold on a sec. I'm gonna consult my friends, OK?"

Without waiting for an answer from me, he dialed away at the cell phone strapped to his wrist, turning away so I couldn't hear his conversation. I stared at his back for an agonizing thirty seconds until he turned back around.

"Okay, dude. See you then. Bring some bandages. And maybe a body cast."

---

Obviously Matt had told some people about the upcoming fight, as the playground, when I came to it, was packed with kids. They had been talking loudly, laughing, throwing paper planes at each other. Just like earlier. Only now, at my approach, they became dead quiet.

"Dude, you actually showed up? I'm impressed. I thought you were gonna chicken out."

Matt was standing there, grinning, Estella standing beside him. She looked as terrified as I felt.

"Stella, go back on the side, 'aight? Just let me mop the floor with him. Won't take long."

I looked Matt up and down, calculating my odds. He wasn't a particularly big guy- wiry, you might call him, skinny but slightly muscular. We looked nothing alike, really, but we both had the same body type. Then again, he'd probably been in a hell of a lot more fights than I had.

This could go either way.

"You ready, dude?"

And then he swung. Not bothering to give me a moment to prepare, his fist came at my head as I was about to answer him. He caught me square on the nose- luckily he hadn't hit hard enough to break it or anything- and then the fight was on.

I dodged a roundhouse punching coming at me from the left, kicking in his general direction. I missed entirely, as I realized when the kick threw me off balance and allowed him to kick me in the stomach, knocking me to the floor. I rolled to avoid his foot, hovering above me and threatening to stomp, as I scurried upward, hoping to surprise him. He tried to trip me as I got up but failed, and I managed to punch him straight in the neck- sending him to the floor.

Coughing, he tried to sit up, but I kicked him, hard, in the side. He started coughing again- was that blood I saw, in his hand?- but no, I must have been imagining it, as he leaped back up with a murderous look in his eyes. He went all out berserker- swinging at me almost at random, kicking, shouting. I remained silent, dodging, taking it in.

"Did you really think you could beat me, dude? You're going down, right here, right now."

"You know I'm better than you. I always have been."

"You know I had her all along, right?"

That one struck a nerve, and he knew it. He stopped swinging, as he must have seen in my face that I wasn't going to strike him. Not yet.

"Yeah, dude. In fact, I had her _first_. We've been dating this whole time. She never really loved you. Hell, she never even really liked you."

My eyes went blank for a second. I was still a little woozy from the attacks that had connected, and his words made my mind fizzle out for a moment. Suddenly all I could see was his face- the perfect face of a perfect boy, so unfit for a devil like him.

"You've always been second place, dude. ...And you always will be."

Just like that, I sprang, like a lion on its prey.

Like a lion, my claws were out.

And they raked right through that perfect face.

---

_The man looked up in shock._

_Her body, hanging from the ceiling, in clear view. Her eyes were closed. Her feet were dangling. That dark hair he had once loved was uncombed, tangled, her dress was plain. She looked exactly as she always had, only now her eyes were closed, and she was so clearly, painfully dead._

_He couldn't cry. This was all his fault. He had ended it. He had broken her heart. But what else could he do? That man, the devil, he had had her first, and she'd never said a word. But..._

_Why would she do this?_

_He almost did cry. He couldn't help it. He couldn't marry her, but he did love her. He couldn't marry her, but..._

"_Celeste..."_

_---  
_

I woke up.

I was lying on a cot in the nurse's office, one that I was quiet familiar with, as I got sick fairly often. I looked around. No one seemed to be paying much attention to me. The school nurse was nearby, and I walked over to her, rather confused.

"Uh...this is going to sound weird, but...how'd I get here?"

"You collapsed. You were fighting that boy, Matt, and you collapsed. We've assumed that the sight of all that blood made you sick."

"...Blood?"

I blinked.

"Where's Matt?"

"After damage like that? In the hospital. They had to rush to make sure they could save his right eye..."

I could only stare at her.

_

* * *

  
_

Holly: And there you have it! An epilogue will follow soon(ish). Yay!

Mello: No one cares!

Holly: But I have chocolate.

Mello: :[

Holly: R&R and I will fiiiiiinally give Mello some chocolate!

Mello: REALLY?!

Holly: Maybe.

Mello: T_T


	4. Justice

[[Holly: And now, thrilling conclusion time!

Mello: And is it actually thrilling?

Holly: Not really. The thrillingest part was last chapter.

L: Then you're kind of lying. Also, thrillingest isn't a word. Like, at all.

Near: But it's a pretty fake word.

Matt&Mello&L: SHUT UP NEAR.

Near: ;w;

Holly: Anyway. Here's the end! Hope you like it. :3]]

* * *

--Juan's POV--

Two weeks.

It's been two weeks since that day, and I'm still sitting at home. A two week suspension, the principal said. I suppose I can't complain. I mean, considering what I did, I could have gotten a lot worse. I didn't mean to do it- you have to believe me when I say that I didn't really want to hurt him. Not the way I did. I could never do that to anyone. I'm still not entirely clear on what exactly happened- no matter how many times people tell me, the memory just isn't there.

I cried a lot, at first. Not because I felt bad about what I did, either, but out of anger at Matt, for saying what he said, for getting me into trouble this way. In my mind, it was his fault. What he said was out of line, and he made me hurt him, and that made me get in trouble. Why didn't _he_ get in trouble? He'd hurt me too, after all, he'd hit first. I know, I suggested that we fight, but I didn't want it to go this far...

Estella stayed home for a while too, apparently. I didn't even know what I could say to her. I loved her, and Matt had stole her from me. But it wasn't even that I wanted her back, now. Not after what Matt had told me, not now that I knew that she'd been with him all along. She was...I can't say nothing to me, as much as I want to. I still loved her, I just didn't want to be with her, if that makes sense. Even so, after a few days of solitary confinement at home, I decided I should go speak with her. There were some things I needed to hear, from her- not from the devil's mouth.

* * *

"Estella...how could you?"

She was in tears the moment she saw me, as though simply looking at my face provoked a visceral reaction. I almost rolled my eyes, angry as I was, but I couldn't. She looked so pitiful, so pathetic, that I very nearly felt sorry for her. But then I remembered everything that had happened, and all feelings of pity fell away.

"I'm here to say goodbye, Estella. That's the only reason."

"...Well, I was going to come over to say goodbye to you, too, so..."

"Huh?"

"We're moving. ...My dad says that this is...too much, and that we should go somewhere else now, so I can...move on, I guess."

I blinked. This was a surprise. I couldn't help but feel upset. Just because I didn't want to be _with_ her didn't mean I wanted her out of my life entirely. There was something sad about thinking I wouldn't see her face pass in the halls anymore. On the bright side, I wouldn't be seeing her and Matt together anymore, so...

"What about Matt?"

"...What about him?"

"Did you tell him that you're moving?"

"...Yes, I told him...He got angry. And...he broke up with me. He looks _awful_, Juan..."

"He broke up with you? Why?!"

"He thinks...I'm on your side. I don't know whose side I'm on, though. I think...he said some awful things out there, but you...oh, Juan, if you'd have seen him..."

"Shut _up_, Estella. I don't want to hear about how horrible he looks, okay? I don't care."

"Juan!"

"I'm serious. I hate him. The worse he looks, the better. After all this, you still think he's in the right?"

"I didn't _say_ that, Juan...I'm just saying that I don't know who's right. I really don't know which of you I'm supposed to believe..."

"He broke up with you!"

"Does that matter? I'm moving...we would have had to break up anyway."

I shook my head, once. Then again, more violently. She looked almost frightened of me as I turned away.

"Estella, goodbye. I hope you're happy. I hope things are better, wherever you're moving to. I hope you forget about me."

"Juan, wait!"

I walked out of her house, and out of her life, without looking back, impatiently wiping away the tears that threatened to fall. I wouldn't cry over her. Not again.

* * *

I drew my knees closer to me, holding them to my stomach, staring at a wall. I had hardly moved, in the time I'd been here. Occasionally I'd try to watch TV, and once every other day or so I forced myself to eat something. But other than that, I've been too lost in my own mind to do anything. I left the house twice- two ill fated trips, one I took for my own sake and the other for my mother's.

I felt sorry for Mom. She was so supportive, so sympathetic towards me, that I almost wished she'd stop. I didn't deserve it. On some level, I knew that I'd screwed up majorly, that I deserved the punishment I was getting. But Mom seemed intent on complaining to the school, on getting Matt in trouble. I wanted Matt in trouble, too, but I didn't want my mom fighting my battles for me. Admittedly, me fighting my own battles had not worked out so well, but even so. It seemed to me almost as though my mother hated Matt more than I did.

That's why I was so surprised when she made her suggestion.

"Juan...maybe it would be good if visited that boy at the hospital."

I just stared at her.

"What?!"

"Apologize to him, Juan. Be the bigger man. I know he did just as bad as you, but you need to be strong here. Maybe he'll apologize to you, too. Who knows?"

_Matt? Apologize to _me_? When pigs fly, maybe._

Even so, there was no use in arguing with my mother. She always knew- or thought she knew- when she was right, and she never gave in. With a half shrug, I stood up, heading out the door. My intuition told me this was a horrible idea.

My intuition is usually right.

* * *

"What the hell are _you_ doing here, dude?"

I hadn't expected any other reaction from him, as I walked in the room. He was sitting up, his fingers poking the buttons at the DS they'd apparently let him use. Matt's parents seemed reluctant to let me in at first, but I told them I was here to apologize, and eventually they'd caved in. Apparently evil wasn't genetic. His parents seemed nice enough.

"I'm here...to...apologize."

"Apologize?"

He laughed his creepy laugh. I looked at his face, biting my lip, deciding against saying anything. The entire right side of his face was covered in bandages. His right eye was open, mocking, as it always was.

"You want to apologize for this? Look at this bandages, dude. You messed me up pretty bad."

"Yeah, well...I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to."

Matt ignored me, playing his game. I stood there, awkwardly, noticing some odd things- like how he was still wearing his cell phone wrist watch, or how he was wearing a hospital gown- I'd never seen him out of his racer jacket before- or-

He looked up at me.

...Or how there was a fire that burned in his eye, a fire that scared me.

"You...didn't..._mean_...to? I'm sure you didn't mean to, dude. Dead sure."

"Well...yeah. I'm sorry, alright? I'm just gonna-"

"Wait."

I blinked.

"I don't know if I can accept your apology, dude. I'm gonna consult myself, okay?"

I could only stare at him as he started punching numbers into his cell phone, holding it to his ear. He spoke softly, and I couldn't hear him. Of course, if he was talking to himself, he probably wasn't saying anything at all. After a few moments he snapped the phone shut and looked back at me. The half of his mouth that was visible was turned up in a frighteningly devilish grin.

"You want to know what you did to me, Juan, dude?"

I started to shake my head, taking a step back. I had a premonition of what was about to happen, and I didn't want any part of it.

With one swift movement, Matt ripped the bandages right off his face.

I stared, horrified. His eye was open, and apparently working, so that, at least, wasn't blood on my hands. But his face...claw marks ran deep, straight across his right eye, giving his face a horrifying quality that was entirely apt. But even so...

_I did this. This...is my fault_

"How do you like me now, Juan? I'm...Matt Engarde."

He laughed. His laugh had a tinge of hysteria to it, like someone who knew things couldn't get worse and yet was quite satisfied with the way things were going. I backed away, slowly at first, and then wheeled around, running out as quickly as I could, as the doctors rushed in to fix his bandages. I refused to cry, but I came close.

Even as I ran out the door, towards home, I heard his laugh echoing behind me.

* * *

It was Sunday. My two-week suspension ended tomorrow- I would be returning to school in the morning. Conveniently, Matt was just getting out of the hospital- he'd be coming back as well. I'd heard that the principal would be splitting us up, putting us into separate classes, hoping this wouldn't happen again. A nice thought, but just because we were in different classes, didn't mean I could avoid him forever.

I thought of those lines, marring that once perfect face. I shuddered to myself.

Hadn't I done the right thing, though?

This thought had come to me several times over the last few weeks. Wasn't this justice? Matt Engarde was a horrible person. That was nothing but fact to me. Wasn't I alerting the world that he wasn't the perfect person that face seemed to show? Wasn't it only right to reveal the devil in plain sight?

I didn't know. I couldn't know.

But the next day, I'd have to face him, scars and all. The devil would be on display. And after everything that had happened, in the end, nothing had changed.

He was still my enemy.

And he always would be.

* * *

Holly: The end! I'm not going to coerce you into R&Ring, hopefully you just will, since it's done now. XD Yay! I hope you liked it. :3


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